Sweethearts
by Dustbunny3
Summary: [One-shot][NaruHina] Fluff. Hinata's Valentine's Day goes better than she expected.


A/N: Originally written as a fill for a kink meme request for a "sweet, taditional romance." Edited but not beta read. Not completely canon compliant. Also, just to clarify, I wrote this with the Japanese version of the holiday in mind. I'm sure many folks around here are aware, but for those who aren't: In Japan, Valentine's Day is when girls give gifts to guys. Guys return the favor a month later on White Day.

In hindsight, I really ought to have posted this back around Valentine's Day. Ah, well.

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Hinata pulled closer and closer into herself as she walked down the street, hardly keeping enough attention on her surroundings to avoid bumping into anyone. All of her shinobi training, it seemed, was going into controlling the urge to clench her hands around the large chocolate heart she was carrying, risking its destruction. Around her, other women were giving out gifts of their own; everything she saw change hands had obvious markings of being store-bought, and it made her homemade gift seem out of place in a way it hadn't earlier that day.

That morning, Neji-nii-san's Valentine's gift, a plain block of dark chocolate wrapped in clear plastic, had been handed over without a hitch and returned with a soft smile. Hinata had blushed in spite of herself, as she did every year, embued with good feelings for the day ahead.

Shino-kun's and Kiba-kun's gifts had been given when she met them that afternoon, respectively a trio of colored white chocolate lady bugs filled with caramel and a milk chocolate dog bone shell with peanut butter filling (she had worried, as was her wont, that the joke had become tired after running so many years, but Kiba-kun had accepted it with a chuckle as always). They'd all sat together while the boys munched on her candy, Kiba-kun speaking with confidence of all the gifts he was expecting to receive until Shino-kun, knowing better than to bother pointing out that half the day had gone by with only Hinata's gift to show for it, inquired after the last chocolate in Hinata's bag.

It was that chocolate she held now, an elaborately decorated heart that could easily have fit within it the other three gifts she'd given that day, wrapped in colorful cellophane and tied off with a satin ribbon. This was the one meant for Naruto-kun; the one she traditionally ate herself at the end of the day. Shino-kun and Kiba-kun, once told that it was indeed still within her possession, had sent her off straight away to deliver it, the chocolate in question in her hands and her bag in Kiba-kun's.

"Tell us about it tomorrow," Shino-kun had said solemnly as she finally left them, her weak protests useless against their insistence.

And so now here she was, walking aimlessly, what little confidence she'd managed to leech from her teammates' enthusiasm leaking out of her with every step; in her mind's eye she could see it as it dripped away, clear and bright red like a trail of fresh blood. Sighing, feeling hollow, Hinata pointed herself towards home. She'd so far resisted giving up, spurred on by Kiba-kun's encouragement and Shino-kun's parting words, but she had realized soon after leaving them that she didn't know where to find Naruto-kun and was too embarrassed to risk anyone realizing that she was looking for him.

So caught up in her own defeat, she didn't notice the other person until he was almost on top of her, knocking them both off balance.

"Ah, excuse me-"

"No, it's my fa- oh, hey, Hinata!"

Hinata froze, trapped by the smile beaming onto her like a rabbit in the eyeline of a swooping hawk.

"N-Naruto-kun," she barely managed to croak, quickly clearing her throat and starting again. "Ah, Naruto-kun, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." Her fingers trembled around the chocolate heart, clutching it closer to her chest. This was her chance, so why was she hoping that Naruto-kun would go on his way without noticing it?

"Hey, don't apologize, I walked into you," Naruto-kun said, smiling sheepishly. "It's embarrassing, I'm telling you, but I was sort of having trouble getting this candy wrapper open."

She glanced down at the offending object proffered, feeling her stomach tighten up as she did. It was a store-bought bar of chocolate, brightly adorned in red wrapping, and suddenly her own gift seemed even larger and more awkward. The impression was not helped when Naruto-kun's gaze was drawn down to it like a moth to flame.

"Oh, hey, you have chocolate, too, huh? But it's Valentine's Day, so... aha!" Naruto-kun's lips curled up into what was not quite a smirk, his eyelids dropping and making him look almost coy. He pointed down at her chocolate as he said, "Hey, Hinata, that's a gift, am I right? Is that why you were so distracted walking, because you're looking for your sweetheart? I'm right, aren't I?"

"I, ah-that is-"

"Don't try to hide it from me, I'll tell you now that it won't work," admonished Naruto-kun, leaning in as though they were sharing a secret. "Tell me who it is and I'll help you find him, okay?"

"N-no, that's not it at all," Hinata said, almost a plea. Her face felt as though it was on fire and her words were sticking in her throat. Naruto-kun pulled back from her with a pout. "I-I-" Gathering all of her courage to her, Hinata gulped down her anxiety and finally spluttered out, "It's you I was looking for!"

Silence stretched out between them like a cat who knew well that there was no escape for the mouse. Naruto-kun looked taken aback by her outburst, and it was all Hinata could do not to turn on her heel and flee. The quiet was like a turnkey in her back, winding her ever tighter.

"For me?" Naruto-kun finally asked, tilting his head to the side. His cheeks were dusted pink now, and Hinata found herself drawing courage from the sight.

"Ah, yes, you- I've already gifted everyone else," she elaborated, cursing herself for her cowardice but still feeling stronger with some of the awkwardness bled out from the situation. "So, since there's no one else, I was looking for you. To give you this."

She held out the chocolate to him, hands surprisingly steady. Naruto-kun blinked down at it before finally reaching out to relieve her of it. Their fingertips brushed as he did, and Hinata let her hands linger there in the air so that she might catch any residue of his warmth.

"Wow," Naruto-kun said as he inspected her gift from every angle. "This design- this is really expensive-looking! Did you pay a lot?"

Such a shameless question was as to be expected from Naruto-kun, but Hinata still came close to stumbling over it. To her own relief, she managed to keep her cool when she answered, "Well, I didn't really calculate, but I suppose it would come out to a good bit, yes."

There was a moment that Naruto-kun didn't seem to understand her, then his face was split wide open with a grin that nearly blinded her.

"Are you saying that you made this for me yourself? That's so cool!"

"Er, yes, I- It's not much-"

"Not much! I'm telling you, this is really incredible! It almost makes me sad to think of eating it, it's like artwork!"

"I-I'm glad you like it, Naruto-kun."

"I love it, Hinata, thank you!" He smiled down at the chocolate in his hands like it was a privilege just to hold such a thing. "I like the candy from the stores, don't get me wrong, but to think that someone put so much effort into a gift for me... It makes me feel really warm inside." His smile now was turned on her, eyes alight with emotion that Hinata didn't dare try to name. "And that's the whole point isn't it?"

"Naruto-kun..."

"Haha, listen to me!" Throwing one hand back to scratch again at his head, Naruto-kun chuckled nervously as his face colored. "I didn't mean to get all deep on you there."

"It's okay," she said, smiling up at him from beneath her eyelashes. "You're right, I did work hard on it. So knowing that you like it so much- it makes me feel warm too."

The silence that curled around them now was benevolent, comfortable. It felt as though they could have stood there all day, just smiling at one another. Of course it didn't last all that long, not with Naruto-kun there and in good spirits.

"Oh! Hey, hey, if I'm the last person to get a gift from you, does that mean you aren't busy now?" Naruto-kun asked, his expression oddly intense. "Because I just realized- you made me this awesome gift, but I didn't even think of buying anything for you for White Day. I mean, it's in a month, but I forget until the last minute every year."

"No, it's okay, I understand," Hinata was quick to reassure, ignoring the twinge of pain in her heart at hearing that Naruto-kun was actually expecting to forget her. "I really didn't expect for you to get me anything."

"Yeah, but I'm telling you that's not right," insisted Naruto-kun. "So, tell me, are you doing anything now?"

"Well, no-"

"Great, so will you come get some ramen with me?"

Hinata just stared, wide-eyed and redder in the face than she had been all day, unable to answer. In luie of a response from her, Naruto-kun kept talking.

"I was already on my way anyhow- my whole team was gonna go together today, but Kakashi-sensei is in the hospital, and Yamato and Sai got called away on a mission and Sakura-chan didn't want anyone to think we were dating so it's just me. Ramen is always better when you eat it with someone you like, though. So, come on, come with me. I'll even treat you, as my gift, okay?"

Hinata had still not answered when Naruto-kun reached out and took her by the hand, leading her along behind him. Feeling his fingers wrapped around hers, she wasn't sure that she could answer; words jumbled about in her mind, confused and without meaning. Her lips parted around nothing, feet dragging the ground with the weight of her nerves. Naruto-kun looked back at her with a frown.

"What's the matter?" He asked, peering at her closely. Her red face and silence must have given him the wrong idea, because he dropped her hand and scratched an itch on his nose that she was certain wasn't there. "Ah, yeah, I didn't think. Me buying you lunch like this, just the two of us- people might think the two of us are on a date."

The thought of it roared in her ears, almost drowning out the rest of what Naruto-kun said.

"Sorry about that. It doesn't really bother me being seen with girls and Sakura-chan is usually okay with it these days but I guess it would be pretty embarrassing for someone who's as quiet as you are to have people spreading rumors like that. Heh, I was really looking forward to it for a second there, too, but-"

"I don't mind," Hinata blurted out, the words little more than breath.

"Hm?" Naruto-kun leaned closer, tipping one ear closer. "You talk so quietly sometimes, I didn't catch-"

"I-I said that I don't mind," Hinata said, finding her voice. Reaching out one hand and letting it rest there between them, she elaborated, "If people think that we-we're on a date, I don't really mind. So," she inhaled deeply and forced herself to meet his eyes with a smile, "let's get some ramen, Naruto-kun."

He returned the smile full force, making her forget to breathe for a moment, and reached out to take her hand again. His fingers curled around hers, prompting her to return the gesture as they went, side by side now instead of Naruto-kun dragging her.

"Naruto-kun," she said, but forgot why when he turned to look at her, smile expectant. She had to say something, though, and the first thing to come out of her mouth was, "I'm glad."

He stared for a moment, just long enough that she began to feel anxious and embarrassed, then his smile stretched even wider and he squeezed her hand in his.

"Good," he said, giving her a tug as Ichiraku came into view. "I'm glad too."

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Praise appreciated, concrit treasured, flames raspberried.


End file.
